LONG POND — — Despite winning more races and leading more laps than anyone else at Pocono Raceway, Jeff Gordon used to be one of the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers not particularly fond of the track.

But that has changed, so much so that Gordon was the only Cup driver to stop by last month for IndyCar's long-awaited return to the Tricky Triangle.

Gordon said he was impressed by the speeds of the open-wheel cars, but seeing the much smaller crowd for the Pocono IndyCar 400 gave him a new appreciation for the fans who make NASCAR America's most popular circuit.

"When you drive into that tunnel [entrance] for an IndyCar race and drive in here for a NASCAR race, you get a perspective of how big our sport is," Gordon said. "The biggest thing that stood out when I got here [Thursday] night is all of the motor homes, the tents, the campers, the number of fans that are here for a NASCAR race.

"Sometimes we see the decline, or something going flat or we're not seeing the filled-up grandstands. Then we sit here and say 'Oh boy, what's going on?' But you go to an IndyCar race and then you come back here a month later and you better be thankful for how many people we have here. It's pretty amazing."

The crowd for the IndyCar race was estimated at about 30,000, a little less than half of the total expected Sunday, Aug. 3, for NASCAR's GoBowling.com 400.

Gordon wanted to see how the IndyCar drivers handled Pocono, especially after the Indianapolis 500 set a record with 68 lead changes.

Even though the track at Pocono is similar to the Brickyard, last month's race was absent numerous lead changes. It came down to fuel mileage, which Scott Dixon mastered for the win.

"At Indy, it was some of the most amazing racing that I've seen in IndyCar in a long time," Gordon said. "I was hoping Pocono might offer that same type of racing. But the drivers were saying that Turn 3 was too long and too flat of a corner for them to maintain that momentum to get the big draft needed to make the passes down the straightaway.

"But I was blown away by the speeds in qualifying, going 222 [mph]. I was thinking about it [Friday] as I was coming down pit road. I was braking going into Turn 3 today. I can't imagine going through Turn 3 wide open like they did."

• Oh, Ricky: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who has had his share of race-day incidents in his rookie season — sometimes with fellow rookie and lady love Danica Patrick — was involved in a single-car accident during the first 10 minutes of Friday's first practice session.

The damage was to the right rear, but didn't require a change in cars.

"I had my hands full there," Stenhouse said. "I thought the guys were going to have to bring me out the backup on that for sure. I was just getting used to this racetrack. Last time here was the first time I ever downshifted really at an oval, so I was getting used to that. I was seeing if we could get a little extra speed, but I downshifted a little too early on the tunnel turn and it jumped out from under me."

• Great Dane: Comedian and actor Dane Cook, who provides the star voice in the upcoming animated comedy "Disney's Planes," will serve as grand marshal for Sunday's race. He will also join Jimmie Johnson, who will drive the No. 48 Lowe's "Disney's Planes" Chevrolet, at Johnson's fan Q-and-A session prior to the race.

Cook's duties as grand marshal include meet-and-greets with drivers, fans and media as well as giving the command to start engines for the GoBowling.com 400. Also, a crop duster simulating the one in the movie will do the flyover beforehand. The movie debuts nationwide Friday.

"Dane being here will be fun," Johnson said. "I'm sure he'll make people smile and laugh. From what I understand, the flyover is going to be exciting with the plane from the movie. All in all, it's just a fun way to tie it all in."